Uganda expands genetically modified mosquito survey in Mukono, Kalangala islands

A section of Jana landing site which is one of the villages where research on mosquitoes/malaria is being carried out in Uganda. PHOTO/DAVID SEKAYINGA
What you need to know:
- The move is aimed at informing critical research in the global fight against malaria.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) has extended its research on the behaviour of genetically modified mosquitoes to more islands on Lake Victoria.
The two islands where similar research will be conducted are Sselinya in Kalangala District and Koome in Mukono District.
Gene-drive mosquitoes are among the anti-malarial strategies the Ugandan government has embarked on since 2016 under the Africa Target Malaria Project, seeking to reduce fatalities resulting from the disease in the country.
Scientists say they aim to develop sterile male mosquitoes that wouldn’t be capable of fertilizing the female anopheles mosquitoes which spread malaria and also intend to reduce the population of female malaria spreading mosquitoes by having them lay fewer eggs compared to the 300 eggs that a natural female anopheles mosquito lays.
According to Krystal Birungi, the field entomologist coordinator for the Target Malaria Uganda Project, differing results from the first research in villages on the mainland and the smaller island of Jaana in Kalangala District and Nsazi island in Mukono District prompted them to explore results on the two larger islands of Sselinya and Koome, which have high malaria cases.
“We could see from our research that on the mainland, the mosquito behaviour and movement was very similar especially in the breeding grounds, but we could see quite some differences with results collected from the islands which is what guided us to add larger islands to see if we will receive the same results,” she explained to Monitor on Tuesday.
“The goal of all this is to inform our research that the final product or the research target which is the gene -drive, can be applicable or work everywhere in Uganda,” she added.
Bufumira Sub-county councillor Tadeo Mwesige expressed disagreement with the gene-drives noting that “government should instead copy what countries like South Korea and Egypt have done to eradicate malaria.
"Another worry is that what will happen after the natural mosquitoes become extinct? This is some of the information they don’t share with us,” he added.
Easter Atim, a resident of Kachanga landing site on Buuvu Island in Bufumira Sub-county also faulted UVRI for not releasing the findings of the first survey.
But UVRL head of stakeholder engagement Jude Bigirwenkya said less information is being released as research is still ongoing.
“It is true there is need to communicate to a bigger audience to avoid misinformation. We are going to do that when we are done with our research,” he told Monitor.
Malaria cases
World Health Organisation (WHO) says about 200 million die of malaria annually worldwide. About 90 percent of these deaths are recorded in Africa.
In Uganda, available records at the Ministry of Health show that of 100 people who visit health facilities nationally, 40 are diagnosed with malaria.
Among the 40, 20 die of the same disease, and malaria cases in Kalangala District are expected to be higher, but few are recorded due to poor health seeking behaviours.